Toronto workplace experience startup Lane announced a $10 million funding round this week and has plans to rapidly grow its Denver-based team with the new cash.
The Series A round was led by Round13 Capital, with participation from previous investors Alate Partners and Panache Ventures.
The funds will be used to accelerate Lane's global expansion, double its 40-person team by the end of 2020 and build on its user experience for all members of the workplace.
Lane is an enterprise SaaS solution that integrates building systems into a single, centralized digital platform. It streamlines the aspects of day-to-day office life for tenants and property managers — from room bookings and guest registration to access control and communications — using data to drive insights.
“Workplace experience is one of the fastest growing markets in recent years,” CEO Clinton Robinson said in a statement. “In the wake of Covid-19, there is even greater demand for a strong technology solution that can help property owners and operators orchestrate a safe and secure return to work, effectively manage building communications and operations, and make the workplace a seamless and engaging place to be. With this funding in place, we will be able to expand the reach of the Lane platform and deliver even greater benefit to all members of the workplace.”
With clients such as Colliers, Hullmark, Dream, Atlas and Kipling, Lane currently powers over 150 buildings across 15 major North American cities, including here in Denver.
In 2019, the company put down roots in Denver, touting the city's growing tech scene and quality of life as a primary driver. Lane, which was founded in 2014, was also part of the first class of Techstars' Colliers Proptech Accelerator in Toronto in 2018, giving it an extra familiarity with Colorado through the Techstars network.
The company only has two full-time customer success employees here in Denver currently, but Robinson said he expects to build the team out to 10 employees within the next year.
"Denver has a great quality of life, and it's a great jump off point for our clients in the U.S. West," Robinson told Colorado Inno.
Amid the current global health crisis, Lane's platform has become a tool for companies coordinating a safe return to work. To ensure physical distancing, Lane enables employees to plan staggered days in the office and book specific arrival times using a centralized calendar.
Lane also helps retailers manage the flow of shoppers into their stores by allowing them to book specific time windows. The Lane platform also enables contactless elevator and building access control using QR codes, which can be scanned from over six feet away.
The company is coming off explosive growth in 2019, expanding its portfolio by 10 times in the U.S. Building on that growth, Lane is using this round to grow further in the U.S., while also expanding into Australia, Brazil, Germany, the U.K. and the United Arab Emirates.
